ARLINGTON -- Right-handed starting pitcher Hayden Wesneski, one of three players the Astros acquired on December 13 from the Cubs in the Kyle Tucker trade, will miss the rest of the season after manager Joe Espada announced Sunday that he was going to have Tommy John surgery.
“I still don’t know how I feel about it, to be honest with you,” Wesneski said. “I’m kind of in denial a little bit. I think it will hit me pretty soon. There’s obviously issues, and we need to fix them.”
The injury is another blow to an Astros rotation that has been rocked by major injuries the last couple of years.
Luis Garcia had Tommy John surgery in 2023 and has had some setbacks, including one this spring. Cristian Javier underwent Tommy John surgery last June and is rehabbing. J.P. France underwent surgery last July 1 to repair a torn right shoulder capsule, and Spencer Arrighetti broke his right thumb April 7 when he was hit by a ball during batting practice.
The Astros did get Lance McCullers Jr. back from major surgery earlier this month following 2 1/2 years on the injured list, but the team has had three rookies make a start this year: Ryan Gusto, AJ Blubaugh and Colton Gordon. The rotation is anchored by Hunter Brown, Framber Valdez and Ronel Blanco.
Wesneski, 27, was in the Opening Day rotation and made six starts, going 1-3 with a 4.50 ERA in 32 innings. He struck out 10 batters in six innings for his first career win with his hometown Astros on April 13 against the Angels. His velocity was down in an April 25 start in Kansas City, forcing the Astros to skip him one turn in the rotation.
He returned 10 days later and gave up four runs in five hits in four innings May 6 at Milwaukee.
“My arm just kept swelling up on me, and it turned out to be a little worse than I thought,” he said. “I thought I was going to be able to pitch through it, and when I can’t bend my elbow, I really can’t throw. That was the issue we ran into.”
Wesneski was placed on the injured list on May 9 (retroactive to May 7) with right elbow discomfort. The diagnosis of a torn ulnar collateral ligament was confirmed in a visit last week by Dr. Keith Meister, who will perform the surgery in the coming days in Dallas.
“I had issues bending my elbow real bad,” Wesneski said. “I couldn’t really touch my shoulder, so I got the range of motion back. I felt fine in Milwaukee. I felt better. The next day, I felt great. I was super pumped about it. I got on the airplane and landed in Houston, and it started swelling up. And on the off-day, it got worse. … I was hoping for something better.”
Wesneski is a Houston native who was 9-13 with a 3.93 ERA in 190 innings with the Cubs in three seasons. He bounced between the rotation and the bullpen, making 22 starts among his 68 career appearances. He was traded to Houston with third baseman Isaac Paredes and top prospect Cam Smith, who parlayed a strong spring into a spot in Houston’s Opening Day lineup.
Wesneski spent two months on the injured list last year in Chicago with a right forearm strain, but said this elbow injury felt much worse.
“Last time in Chicago, I felt like they pulled the chute pretty fast, but they were trying to take care of me,” he said. “It’s like, ‘Did they save me from something?’ This was a way worse situation. I didn’t really feel it on the inside of the elbow really that much, and that’s why I was kind of hopeful for something better. I had some real swelling that corresponded with a not really good outcome.”